Experience freedom: Tour to the Twelve Articles in Memmingen!

Experience freedom: Tour to the Twelve Articles in Memmingen!

On May 26, 2025, an important freedom tour will take place in Memmingen, which will introduce citizens and visitors to the exciting story of the “12 Articles of Peasantry”. These articles, which were drawn up during the German Peasants' War in 1525, are considered to be one of the first written stipulations for human and freedom rights in Europe, after the Magna Carta of 1215. The event offers an exclusive tour through the exhibition "Project Freedom - Memmingen 1525" in the Dietrich Bonhoeffer House as well as through the old town of the city, where many of the central locations of the events can be found.

The tour begins at 3 p.m. at the Dietrich Bonhoeffer House and lasts around two hours. At a price of €9 per person, prior booking is required, which can be made via the Tourismus Memmingen homepage or by telephone on 08331 850-173. The event ends in the Kramerzunftstube at the Weinmarkt, which is considered a symbol of freedom in action. Memmingen reports that the tour not only conveys historical facts in an understandable way, but also highlights the importance of the event for today's civil liberties.

Historical background of the Twelve Articles

The Twelve Articles were written at a time of great unrest. On March 6, 1525, around 50 representatives of Upper Swabian farming groups met in Memmingen. Just one day later, on March 7, 1525, the Christian Association of Farmers, also known as the Upper Swabian Confederation, was founded. The Articles themselves were officially adopted on March 15 and 20, 1525 and were quickly disseminated through the invention of printing, resulting in a circulation of approximately 25,000 copies. Wikipedia notes that the articles contained demands for communities to have the right to elect their pastor, the return of community forests and the abolition of small tithes.

In addition, the Twelve Articles called for a limitation on compulsory labor and the abolition of inheritance tax. The emergence of these demands is reflected in the Memmingen Articles, which were demanded by 25 villages on February 16, 1525 to improve city administration. This meeting is considered an early “constituent assembly” that sought social and political reforms.

Long-term effects

The Twelve Articles were written by various figures, including Sebastian Lotzer, and have been seen as the basis for numerous social and political reforms over the centuries since their publication. Some of the goals mentioned in these articles were not achieved until the revolution of 1848/49. In addition, the creation of the Twelve Articles will be discussed in a mosaic comic that will be published in April 2025.

Today's event not only offers an insight into a formative era in German history, but also reminds us of the ongoing challenges with regard to human rights and social justice. The interest in history and the influence of the “Twelve Articles” on today’s society is unmistakable, and the freedom tour in Memmingen invites you to explore these topics in more depth.